Listening with Astonishment: Welcoming Dr. Carmen Acevedo Butcher as CAC’s Next Dean of Faculty
Leadership within the contemplative tradition has always unfolded through listening — listening to the Spirit, to one another, and to what Love is asking of us next. In that spirit, the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) is honored to welcome Dr. Carmen Acevedo Butcher as our next Dean of Faculty, unanimously approved by our Board.
This transition reflects a natural rhythm in CAC’s life. After careful discernment, Brian McLaren will continue offering his gifts as Core Faculty, concluding his season as Dean with a blessing for what is emerging.
A Transition Rooted in Trust and Continuity
Carmen steps into a role previously held by Brian and by Fr. Richard before him — a lineage marked by humility, depth, and a love for making contemplative wisdom accessible in a world hungry for transformation. We are profoundly grateful to Brian for his service as Dean and for the gifts he continues to offer. And we are equally grateful for Carmen’s courageous yes to this next chapter.
As Brian steps from Dean to Core Faculty, he offered this reflection:
“I’m grateful for the years I’ve been able to serve as Dean… Earlier this year, I felt it was time to pass the baton… I am thrilled that Carmen has accepted this call… If you don’t know her yet, you will quickly discover what an extraordinary person she is — a wise educator, a respected scholar and translator, a gifted communicator, and a kind and collaborative colleague.”
Carmen has been following Fr. Richard’s work since before CAC existed, and her charism and the work she feels called to offer are deeply aligned with his vision and the impact CAC aims to have. Her presence and leadership are already profound across our programming, such as ReVision, our podcasts, online gatherings, and Living School curriculum. She has deepened the collective teaching voice of the CAC and will continue to steward our mission of offering transformative pathways of contemplative wisdom that awaken a more loving world.
Listening with Astonishment: Carmen’s Call to this Work
Carmen’s acceptance of this role grew from the contemplative soil she has tended for decades — through her scholarship, her translations, her teaching, and her lifelong commitment to making ancient wisdom accessible for modern seekers.
She shared this reflection as she stepped into the role:
“Thank you, Father Richard, for the humility, love, Franciscan grace, and faithful Spirit-listening through which you founded CAC. Thank you, Jim, Cynthia, Brian, Dr. B., all faculty, all staff, and everyone, for cultivating the embodied prayer at the heart of the CAC mission.
“This prayer nudged me — a transformed, transforming human waking each morning needing timeless truths, practices, and fresh inspiration for acting lovingly in and from community — to listen to an inner tug and say, ‘Yes,’ when asked to be Dean.
“I often find myself praying a single ancient English word: Hlosniende (‘Huh-LOW-s-knee-IN-duh’). For well over 1,000 years, it has meant ‘listening with astonishment,’ ‘being silent and expectant,’ and ‘feeling awe-struck.’ When I pray Hlosniende!, I invoke grateful, expectant listening. And I remember that an early English word for ‘disciple,’ hlosnere, also means ‘listener.’
“May we, together, listen deeply to Love and each other, growing in kindness ever so that all in community — and especially those at the margins — feel the body of Christ.”
Her prayer becomes a guiding invitation for this next season at CAC: to lead and learn through grateful, astonished listening.
Get to Know Carmen’s Teaching
Carmen is an award-winning translator, writer, and educator whose work has made contemplative wisdom newly accessible for emerging generations. Her translations of The Cloud of Unknowing and Practice of the Presence are widely regarded as modern classics. She was recommended to lead because she embodies the very best of our tradition: grounded scholarship, contemplative depth, humility, and a rare ability to bring ancient wisdom into living, contemporary form. We are fortunate to have her stepping into this role at a moment when CAC is expanding the formats, voices, and audiences through which we share contemplative teaching.
If you’re curious to explore Carmen’s voice and contemplative commitments, you can find her teachings through the CAC site by simply searching for “Carmen.” We invite you to begin with the highlighted teachings below:
- Daily Meditations: “Work Gently” and “A Prayer of Healing”
- Podcast: Learning How to See
- Translations: Practice of the Presence and The Cloud of Unknowing
Carmen explores new perspectives from this classic teaching from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
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A Prayer for the Season Ahead
As we welcome Carmen into this role and honor Brian’s continued presence, we hold this moment with gratitude — trusting that leadership grounded in love, humility, and listening will continue to nourish and expand our shared mission:
To introduce Christian contemplative wisdom and practices that support transformation and inspire loving action.
May this season unfold with grace for all who teach, all who learn, and all who are seeking a more compassionate world.